Ingredient Review

The first ingredient is chicken broth. Chicken broth provides both flavor and moisture; however, as with other broths, chicken broth does not provide any notable nutritional contribution.

The second ingredient is chicken, which is an excellent source of protein and fat.

The third ingredient is chicken liver. Chicken liver is an excellent organ meat which provides high quality protein and fat. In addition, chicken liver provides many essential vitamins and minerals.

The fourth ingredient is salmon. Although salmon is an excellent protein and omega-3 fatty acid source, raw salmon contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of salmon is dramatically reduced. Therefore, it's important to ensure that other meat sources are included within the first few ingredients to ensure the product derives most of its protein from meat.

The fifth ingredient is duck. Duck is another excellent protein source. As with other raw meats, duck contains a substantial amount of moisture and therefore the relative meat contribution of duck is dramatically reduced after cooking.

Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Natural Balance Original Ultra Ultra Premium - Chicken, Salmon & Duck Formula are not as important as the first five ingredients.

However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we'll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Natural Balance recipe.

Next we have brewers yeast. Brewers yeast is a by-product of the brewing industry. Brewers yeast is rich in various minerals and contains a notable amount of protein.

The next ingredient is brown rice. Brown rice is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, brown rice is easy to digest.

Then we have canola oil. Because canola oil is actually an improved rapeseed oil, many people are wary of its nutritional impacts.

Moving on, we have natural flavor, which is likely included to improve palatability.

The remaining ingredients in this Natural Balance Original Ultra recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

Our analysis of the ingredients show that this product derives most of its protein from animal based sources. This is an excellent property because meat based protein contains all of the necessary amino acids required by cats. In our option, this is one of the most important properties to judge when reviewing pet food, therefore we believe this is an exceptional product in this regard.

Final Thoughts

In summary, we recognize that this product does not contain any artificial colors, artificial preservatives, or anonymous meat ingredients.

The official PawDiet rating for Natural Balance Original Ultra Ultra Premium - Chicken, Salmon & Duck Formula is 5.0 out of 5.